Gold
by afradite
Summary: It's 2016, the year of the Rio Olympics! Rin finally gets his dream, and makes it into the Japanese Olympic swim team. The rest of the gang are forced to watch and wait anxiously from home. Rinharu, some Reigisa
1. Chapter 1

_My first Free! fic, sorry if any of them are OOC! I tried my best to keep them in character!_

_Set in August 2016, Rio Olympics!_

* * *

"Do you have to go?" Rin felt Haru breathe softly against his neck. He turned his head to look at the sulking boy who had his arms wrapped around him. He gave a soft laugh, and dropped the folded shirt he was holding into the open suitcase.

"Of course I do," he replied, releasing himself from Haru's grip, "It's only a week, I'll be back before you know it."

Rin gave a small smirk when Haru rolled his eyes dramatically and turned away with a huff. He turned back to his suitcase and, after making sure everything was there for the third time, closed it. In a few hours, Rin would be aboard a plane and, finally, on his way to the Olympics in Rio. He'd trained hard in the past years, and had made it onto the Japanese Olympic team. He'd almost cried when he heard the news. Haru had been less impressed. He'd been too preoccupied by the fact that he'd get to spend even less time with Rin.

After their crumbling friendship had been resurrected, it hadn't taken the two long to start dating. After graduation, they decided to move in together, in a flat in Tokyo, 5 minutes from the pool where Rin trained. Haru had wanted to have a flat with a pool, which would have cost a fortune, and finally gave into Rin's reminders that he could swim in the training pool anytime he wanted. Haru would often tag along to Rin's training sessions, and would sometimes join in. Rin's coach would almost _weep_ when he saw Haru swim, knowing that the boy refused to join the team. He'd basically begged him to join, even offering to pay him, but Haru remained defiant.

Rin yawned softly and looked down at his watch. 7:30pm. His flight boarded at 10:15, and it took an hour to get to the airport from their flat. He needed to leave soon.

"Haru," Rin called, dragging his suitcase off the bed, "We need to leave soon, are you almost ready?"

"No," he heard Haru call softly from the bathroom, "I'll never be ready."

A soft growl escaped Rins throat, as he rounded the corner to the bathroom. Haru was sitting on the edge of the bath, slowly brushing his teeth with a perpetual pout on his face.

"God dammit Haru," he whined, "Quit messing around. You know customs takes ages, I don't want to miss my flight."

"_I_ want you to," Haru mumbled through the toothpaste. Rin rolled his eye impatiently and strode over to Haru, pulling him up by his free hand.

"Gou's going to be here to pick us up in 5 minutes," he said, pulling the toothbrush out of Haru's hand, "Let's go."

Haru shot him a quick glare, before rinsing his mouth and heaving a sigh.

"Fine."

xxx

Gou chattered away non-stop on the drive to the airport. She couldn't stop gushing about how _her _older brother was going to be swimming in the _Olympics_. Gou was the only one out of the group who had bothered to get her license, since she lived further out of the city, where the public transport wasn't as good. The car was quite small however, and Haru had forced Rin to squish into the tiny back seat with him. Rin gave a slight wince as he tried, and failed, to move his legs to a more comfortable position.

"I wish I could come with you," Gou whined, "I mean, mum's already over there, why couldn't I come?"

"Because you're in the middle of a semester, you can't just up and leave," Rin replied, as he brushed away Haru's wandering hands. Haru had been more _touchy _that usual in the past few weeks. Although it was kind of nice at first, it was starting to get annoying.

"Whatever," Gou muttered, "Being there for you at the Olympics is way more important than _university._"

Rin felt Haru brush his lips softly over his neck and shivered. He shot him a glare, only to be met by Haru's puppy like expression.

"I'll miss you," Haru said softly, intertwining his fingers with Rin's. He saw Gou give them a small smile through the rear-view window, and scowled back at her.

"Don't worry Haru," She reassured, "I invited Nagisa, Rei and Makoto over to mine to watch Rin's race as well. We have a pool in our complex and no one really uses it, so we can have a pool party before hand!"

Knowing this rose Haru's spirits considerably. It even made Rin think he wouldn't miss him at all anymore.

They finally arrived at the airport. Gou parked so that they could stay with him longer. They had a bit of time to kill until Rin's flight left, so they stopped at a small coffee stand. Gou bought herself and Rin a coffee each, and bought herself two doughnuts. Haru stuck with water, since they didn't sell mackerel.

"Make sure to wear your _Olympic _teamjacket," Gou said loudly, and pulled the article out of Rins bag, "Just so everyone knows."

Rin snatched the jacket from her with a growl.

"God dammit Gou! Stop acting like being my sister makes you special!" he groaned.

Gou gave a pout and turned away from him, arms crossed. Rin sighed. Ever since he'd gotten into the Olympic team, everyone had been acting weird. He was just looking forward to everyone finally acting _normal_ after he came back. Assuming they would all revert back. He had a feeling Gou would never let this go. Checking his watch confirmed that it was time for Rin to go. They all got up and walked to the gate. Gou started to become a bit sniffily, reassuring them it was fine, before bursting into tears. Haru remained quite silent, but refused to let go of Rin's arm. That was until a security guard was forced to step in and stop him from going through customs with Rin.

"We'll all be cheering you on from home, remember that!" Gou called after him, through a stream of tears, "We'll miss you!"

Haru gave him a sad wave and mumbled a goodbye. A smile crept onto Rins face as he continued towards his flight, waving back at them.

"I'll remember!" He called back with a grin, waving wildly.

_God I'm going to miss those idiots_, he thought, as he finally boarded the plane.

* * *

**AN-** _Thanks for reading everyone! Just a drabble that turned into something more. I plan more chapters, but am not really sure on how it'll end. I hope you liked it, and remember to leave review to tell me what you thought!_


	2. Chapter 2

_My first Free! fic, sorry if any of them are OOC! I tried my best to keep them in character and be accurate with Olympic and swimming rules and conventions._

_Set in August 2016, Rio Olympics!_

* * *

It was warm and sunny when Rin arrived in Rio. It was slightly cooler than it had been in Japan though, since it was currently winter in Brazil. A driver was waiting for the athletes in the arrivals hall, and once everyone was there they were ushered into a bus. Rin knew most of the other athletes, five of them being swimmers who he'd trained with for the past year. Everyone was tired from the long flight, but that didn't stop them all from chattering away. One of his fellow swimmers, Nami, sat beside him. She was a year younger than him and an extraordinary swimmer. She lent over excitedly and opened the window.

"Isn't it just wonderful!" She said, "I've been dreaming of this ever since I was a kid, and now I'm finally here!"

Most people would think she meant coming to the Olympics, but Rin knew that she was actually referring to the city they were in. Nami had been obsessed with the beach and the tropics ever since she was a kid. One day she had shown Rin a map she drew when she was in grade school, which had all the places she wanted to visit marked out. There was Hawaii and Fiji, of course, as well as Bali and the Bahamas. But Rio was where she'd longed to visit most.

"You know that you're not going to be able to do that much sight seeing though, don't you?" Rin said cautiously. Nami had the tendency to forget to be realistic. She turned around and grinned at him.

"I extended my stay a week," She said proudly, pulling out her travel documents, "See?"

She pulled out a booking confirmation, with a photo of a beautiful beach side resort in the top corner. Rin gave a short laugh. _Of course._

It didn't take them long to arrive at the Olympic village, which was nestled beside the huge stadium. Rin hurried to his room, keen for a few hours of rest on a proper bed. He had today off, but final training would start tomorrow, in preparation for his preliminary heat, which was in 3 days. There was also the long opening ceremony tomorrow night, which he'd have a short practice for. He almost couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his room. It was astounding. There was a large living area, with an amazing entertainment system. Two doors opened off into the two bedrooms, one his, and one his room mate for the week. There was a large kitchen, which was fully stocked with approved food, and nestled on the far side of the room was a substantial collection of exercise gear. The rec room was in the building over, and they were only a few hundred meters from the training pool. It was a dream. With a happy sigh, Rin dropped his bags into his room and threw himself back on the large bed. It wasn't until then that he realised just how tired he was, and he promptly fell asleep.

xxx

The muffled sound of the phone ringing reached through the water to Haru's ears. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a bubbly sigh. This was the third time in the last ten minutes the phone had rung. He decided it was probably important, and pushed himself out of the water. Droplets of water fell rapidly from his soaked hair and he made his way out of the bath, grabbing a towel on the way. He quickly located the phone before it rung out, and picked it up.

"Yeah?" He grunted, as he worked the towel through his wet hair.

"Hey Haru!" He heard Gou say excitedly. He could hear the sound of the TV on in the background. _Oh god,_ he thought, his heartbeat picking up.

"Hi Gou," He replied cautiously. Gou gave a short laugh.

"Don't worry, he won his heat."

Haru let out a sigh of relief. It'd been 3 days since Rin had left, and his preliminary heat had been today. Haru had been too nervous to watch it, and got Gou to watch it for him. This meant Rin was through to the semi-final later today, and was well on his way to get into the finals, which were at 11am tomorrow in Rio, which would be 11pm for them.

"How well did he do?" Haru asked nervously.

"Well, it wasn't his best, that's for sure," Gou said tiredly, "But I'm sure he's just trying to save up energy for the final."

Haru tapped the counter nervously. That may be the case, but Rin couldn't afford to slack off in his next race.

"Nagisa and Rei are here already and Makoto's coming up tomorrow. You're definitely coming, right?" Gou asked.

"What?" Haru said absently.

"The pool party, don't you remember? It's still on even if he doesn't get into the final. We can celebrate how far he's come, winning the heat isn't that easy!"

"Oh, um, yeah sure, I'll be there."

"Okay good. Hey listen I have to go, Nagisa's loose in the kitchen and I'm a bit scared for my stuff. I'll see you tomorrow!"

The click of Gou hanging up came before Haru could utter a goodbye. With a short sigh, Haru put the phone down. He slowly made his way back to the bathroom, the towel hanging loosely around his neck. He looked down at the water, which he'd been soaking in for most of the day, and reluctantly pulled, the plug.

xxx

"Go get something to eat and rest up, we've done enough training," Rin heard his coach say as he pulled himself out of the pool. He furrowed his brow as he took the waiting towel and dried off his hair.

"Are you sure, that wasn't much," Rin said reluctantly, "I feel like I could go for a bit longer."

His coach chuckled softly and patted him on the shoulder.

"No no," he said, "You need to save up your energy for the race. Besides, you're doing perfectly, exactly as I'd hoped. Don't worry too much."

"But I was slow in the heats," Rin said softly.

"That's quite common. Don't stress about it. You know what your doing, just get in there and give it your all."

Despite his coach's encouragements, Rin still didn't feel right. He'd won his heat, but only just. He'd been slow for his own standards, but he couldn't really place his finger on why. He'd done exactly as he was meant to, and he'd given it his all. Well, maybe that wasn't true. It could just have been that he was confident he'd win the race. Maybe he hadn't really been trying, maybe he just thought he was. With a groan, Rin swung through to the showers, throwing his towel haphazardly over the door.

"You're fine," Rin quietly repeated to himself. He shook his arms and legs out, relaxing his muscles. The semi finals were tonight, and his odds looked good. He'd trained enough, and his times were solid. He was going to be fine. All he had to do was make sure he was in the top 4 of his race. After standing under the warm spray for a considerable length of time, Rin turned the shower off and got dressed. Grabbing his stuff he sauntered out of the ever-busy swim hall, and went on his way to hunt down some food.

* * *

**AN- **_Thank you for reading! In case anyone was wondering, I chose Nami as the name of Rin's team mate because the name means "wave". Cute huh? I hope you liked this chapter, and am glad to say I've started to figure out where this story is going. Remember to leave a review and tell me what you thought!_


	3. Chapter 3

_My first Free! fic, sorry if any of them are OOC! I tried my best to keep them in character and be accurate with Olympic and swimming rules and conventions._

_Set in August 2016, Rio Olympics!_

* * *

"Come on Haru-chan! Let's go!" Nagisa sang, dancing around Haru's living room. Despite not seeing each other in over a year, Nagisa still acted like he always had. Gou had come to pick Haru up to bring him back to the party, and Nagisa had insisted on coming. The younger boy hadn't grown much and was still as immature as ever. It was hard to imagine that this kid was currently studying marine biology. Although, Nagisa _had_ admitted it was mainly so he could play with all the sea creatures they studied. The boy had been hoping for more exciting creatures to study, such as dolphins or seals. He was slightly disappointed to find out they would be focusing on micro organisms for the first semester, before moving on to small fish species.

Haru was currently standing in the doorway to the bathroom, clad in his swimsuit, having just gotten out of the bath. Gou stood red faced in the corner, failing miserably to not blatantly stare.

"Haru-senpai," She squeaked, "Could you please put some clothes on!"

Haru grunted tiredly, before wandering slowly into his room. He got dressed slowly, changing into a dry swimsuit before putting on the rest of his clothes. He wondered momentarily if he should have made food to bring to the party, but thought better of it. Gou would probably just order some pizza's like usual.

The drive to Gou's place wasn't a long one, and when they arrived they found Rei and Makoto already lounging in the pool, which Gou had gone to the trouble of reserving for them that day. She'd told Haru that she'd gone around to every apartment in the building, and asked each resident if they minded if they used the pool for a party that day. Gou's roommate, Kyoko, sat on a lounge chair on the far corner of the deck. She was hiding behind a magazine. Haru had met Kyoko a few times before. She was shockingly similar to Gou, and even slightly resembled her physically. She had the same auburn hair, but hers had been cut shorter, and had a slight curl to it. The two girls would often chatter away, going off into a world of their own. They were perfectly suited as roommates.

As soon as they arrived, Nagisa was already out of his clothes and diving into the clear water.

"Get in Haru! It's wonderful!" He called, giggling as he dived back into the water. Suddenly Rei, who had been lounging on the pool steps, gave a sharp yelp. A grinning Nagisa appeared beside him, looking as if he was about the pounce on the bespectacled boy. Haru rolled his eyes and was quickly out of his clothes. He dived quickly into the smooth water. He sighed a sigh of relief, and let himself float in the depths of the cool water. He hadn't been to the pool in a while, since he didn't really like to go to the Olympic pool without Rin. He'd missed the feeling of being weightless, surrounded by the comforting, soft water. He opened his eyes slowly, and pushed himself off the bottom, surfacing again. Nagisa and Rei were in some sort of weird half wrestling, half splashing fight. Rei looked like he was much less comfortable with this than Nagisa, who still wore the wicked grin. Haru looked around and saw Makoto resting by the side of the pool. He slowly swam over to his long time friend.

"Hi," he grunted. Makoto smiled softly at him.

"Hi Haru, long time no see," Makoto said, "Did you miss me?"

Haru had his head half underwater, so his nose was just above the line of the water. He gave a slow nod, concentrating more on the feel of the water running through his fingers.

"Worried about Rin?" Makoto asked softly, as he tilted his head slightly. Haru nodded again. Rin's semi-final had aired at 4am this morning, and Haru had managed to get up the nerve to watch it. He'd been so nervous as he sat in the darkness, forcing himself to watch every last bit of the race. The schedule had been running slightly late, so he'd had to watch the last half of the race before Rin's, which didn't help his nerves. When Rin had finally appeared in the swim hall, Haru almost cried out in pain. It was a short race, 100-metre sprint, but it had felt like a lifetime. Rin had pushed hard, and finally came a close second to a swimmer from Australia. That meant Rin was through to the finals. Haru could have cried with happiness, but that Australian swimmer still had him worried. He didn't have much of an edge on Rin, but it was enough to make most of them anxious. Haru knew how much winning a gold medal meant to Rin. The whole day he'd been a nervous wreck, in anticipation for the race tonight. It was currently 6:00pm, which meant there were still a few hours until the race, which was at 11.

"It'll be okay Haru, I'm sure Rin will do amazingly," Makoto said reassuringly, "He did so well in the semi-final, and he made it look easy. Don't stress yourself out, whatever happens, happens."

Haru nodded in reply again. _Easier said than done, _he thought sadly, as he let himself float out on the water.

xxx

The harsh sound of the alarm woke Rin with a start. He rolled over with a groan to turn the shrill beeping off. 6:30am. Rin let out a short sigh, and pushed himself slowly off of the bed. Only a few hours until the race. The race he'd been dreaming of since he was a kid. It was finally here. Despite his nerves, Rin had gotten a good sleep that night, mostly due to the amazing bed he got the pleasure of sleeping on. He got up quickly and pulled on a sweatshirt, shorts, and his joggers. He set out on his daily jog. The air was still crisp from the night before, and it sent tiny refreshing nips to Rins cheeks. He could see other athletes already out and about, all going through their morning work out routine. Though they were all technically meant to be rivals, Rin found himself becoming friendly with the other athletes. Thankfully, due to his time spent in Australia, Rin's English was quite good. He had an easy time talking to the other athletes, and had become quite close with a few. There were the rowers from Britain who were staying in the dorms across from him, and Axel, the German gymnast who liked to played pool with him in the rec room. He said his good mornings to people as he passed them. Vera, a Russian track star, joined him on his jog, chatting happily about her trip to the beach on her day off.

"It was nice to finally get a day off," Vera said happily, and she added a little skip to her steps, "Not to mention all the hot guys."

Rin rolled his eyes at her, with a small smile. She grinned back at him, and swayed over to give him a little bump.

"So, do you have anyone special here, or back home?" She asked with a wink. Rin gave a breathy laugh, and looked away.

"Yeah, my boyfriend, Haru. He's back home, sulking probably."

"Why didn't he come with you?"

"Ah well, he's in the middle of a semester, and he isn't really one for travel." Rin replied, "He really didn't want me to go."

"Aw!" Vera squealed, tugging on Rin's arm, "That's adorable, I'm so jealous!"

A blush crept onto Rin's face, and with roll of his eyes, he sped up his pace. After their jog, the two of them went to get breakfast together, and met up with other athletes on their respective teams. It was nice, and it helped Rin keep his mind off of the looming race. But soon enough it was time for him to meet with his coach, and go over some final preparations. They sat for a while, going over the profiles of the other contestant, before getting into the pool for a few final laps. He had to be at the pool by 10, ready for his race at 11.

"You know what to do," was the last thing his coach said to him, with a soft smile, before he made his way to the waiting area. It was just five minutes that he had to wait, but this felt like years to him. He could hear the cheering crowd outside, but this dimmed as he shut his eyes and focused on his heartbeat. All he could hear now was the pounding of his heart, and his long, slow deliberate breaths. Slowly, he opened his eyes, hearing the crackle of the intercom, before a tired voice announced that swimmers were to make their way to the pool. Getting up, Rin stepped towards the door, and with a deep breath, pushed out and strode into his dream.

* * *

**AN-** _Thanks for reading! In case anyone was wondering, I chose Kyoko as Gou's roommates name because the name means "echo" or "mirror". Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you liked this chapter. Remember to leave a review and tell me what you thought!_

_**Replies:**_

_vakiromi - Thank you thank you! I'm glad you liked the story, and I promise to update as quickly as I can!_

_xDark-Angel132 - Hmm yes, that's true. Haru definitely brings out the best in Rin, that's for sure!_

_Kat - Thank you so much, that means a lot! I'm really glad you liked my story, and am happy I could brighten your day!_

_natsumefruit - Haha yeah, that was exactly the tone I was trying to hit with Rin._


	4. Chapter 4

_My first Free! fic, sorry if any of them are OOC! I tried my best to keep them in character and be accurate with Olympic and swimming rules and conventions._

_Set in August 2016, Rio Olympics!_

* * *

A sudden bright light ruffled Haru from the relaxed stated he was in. Shielding his eyes, his looked around to see Gou squinting at her phone. The whole group were spread out on towels on the deck, under the hazy night sky. With a groan, Haru rolled over to lie on his side, and propped himself up.

"Is it time?" He asked tiredly. Gou nodded, and began crawling around the group, telling them it was time to go inside for the race. Makoto and Kyoko were lying apart from the group, talking quietly, and they both slowly got up. Rei and Nagisa, however, were fast asleep, in each other's arms. It took Gou quite a bit to wake them, and Nagisa wasn't exactly pleasant after waking up.

"Go away!" He growled, batting Gou away, and wriggled closer to Rei, who was starting to get up. The two of them had never actually said anything about it, but it was clear to most of them that Rei and Nagisa were together. They'd both stayed in Iwatobi together, and went to the same college. They even lived across the hall from each other in their apartment complex.

"Get up Nagisa, you're going to miss Rins race," Rei said tiredly, pulling the groaning boy behind him. Haru slowly got up, butterflies starting to form in his stomach. This was it, the moment he'd been agonizing over for almost a year. He followed the group slowly inside. It was only one flight of stairs from the pool level and they were at Gou's door. Inside the apartment, Haru checked the clock on the wall. Rins race would start in ten minutes. Haru's heart suddenly started to pound in his chest.

He followed Gou into the living room, who jumped onto the couch, and clicked on the TV. It seemed that she just had it permanently on the channel airing the Olympics. The room suddenly filled with a chorus of cheers, and a line of swimmers racing to the end could be seen on the screen. Nagisa, who was still grumbling about being woken, let himself fall onto a beanbag, pulling Rei down with him. Rei gave a shout, and landed heavily next to the yawning boy.

"Come on Haru-senpai," Gou said with a yawn, patting next to her on the couch. Haru sauntered over and plonked himself down next to her, curling in on himself. She gave him and understanding look, the nerves evident on her face too. She reached across and grasp Haru's and tightly. Up until now Gou had hidden her anxiety for Rin well, but Haru couldn't blame her for letting it show now. Gou cared so much for Rin, and although they weren't exactly close, there was an understanding between them, which Haru would never know himself.

"Guys look look!" Makoto said excitedly, "It's Rin!"

They all directed their gaze to the TV. Haru inhaled sharply when he saw Rin walk out into the stadium. The red head had a huge grin on his face as he strode confidently out to where his coach sat. He was still wearing a light jacket, but quickly took it off. The crowd was roaring, and Haru's heart was beating faster than ever. Once all the swimmers had disrobed, they took their positions in front of the starting blocks, shaking and stretching their limbs. Haru felt Gou's grip on his hand tighten sharply, and he squeezed back. And there it came, the echoing voice, ringing through the crowd.

"Ready!"

xxx

His whole body was tingling. All he could hear was the roaring of the crowd, made distant by the pounding of his heart. Standing on the starting block, Rin could feel the adrenaline start to rush through his body. This was it. Looking around with an eager grin, Rin hopped from one foot to the other. He heard the first signal, and pressed on his goggles, snapping the strap. Everything around him started to fade out, and he refined his focus down to his heartbeat, and the waiting signal.

"Set!" echoed a deep voice out through the crowd. Rin got into position. All he could feel was the grip of the block beneath him, and the calling of the waiting water. It was time. He closed his eyes for a moment, and threw them open, seconds before the unmistakable sound of a starting beep filled the stadium.

Rin threw himself into the water. The cool water slid around him and all he could do anymore was swim his hardest. The cool rush of adrenaline sped through his body, and he could have laughed with joy. He focused on nothing but the feel of his body slicing through the silky water, as though it was nothing more than air. The tiles raced below him, and the brilliant splash of water as he gulped breath after breath felt incredible. He felt like he was flying. Nothing around him other than the water could steal his attention, not even the fact that he was far ahead of the pack. All he could think of was swimming. He was free. And it was incredible.

xxx

The sounds of Nagisa's cheers rang in Haru's ears, as he watched Rins race, his eyes glued to the screen. His grip on Gous hand tightened, as did hers. He watched Rin dive into the water, and swim harder and faster than he'd ever seen before. He quickly moved ahead of the pack. Haru's heartbeat soared. The room was filled with screams and cheers; Haru could no longer separate them from one and other. He didn't know whether he was cheering, or screaming, or just sitting like a statue. All he could think of was Rin. Rin was fast, incredibly fast. But so was the Australian. Haru watched as the two swam, neck and neck. They reached the wall, and turned. Rin had a stronger kick, and gained a small lead with the turn. But the other swimmer wasn't giving up. This was when Haru became conscious of himself again. He took a deep breath.

"COME ON RIN!" he roared. Nagisa turned and grinned at him, continuing to cheer and scream loudly. And it was like Rin heard him. They were less than 20 metres from the finish, when Rin pushed even harder. Haru jumped up off the couch, dragging Gou, who was hysterical, up with him. He shouted and yelled, not able to keep it in anymore. And then they hit the wall, and Rin made it first. And it felt like the whole world disappeared. Haru's heart skipped a beat, and his breath caught in him throat. His eyes pricked. Tears began rolling down his cheeks, as his legs gave way. He felt himself falling, almost in slow motion, to the ground. He couldn't stop the tears.

Suddenly everything came back, and the room was louder than ever. Nagisa and Makoto were screaming, and Rei was hugging Gou, who was sobbing was sobbing. Haru was still holding onto Gou's hand, and giving it a light, reassuring squeeze, he let go. Nagisa came barrelling towards him, his face wet with tears.

"He did it! Haru, he did it!" was all he could say, and he pulled Haru into an iron grip of a hug. Haru felt winded, and couldn't say a single word. All he could do was stare at that screen. And there was Rin pulling himself out of the pool, an immense grin on his face. His coach and teammates rushed towards him. The chart filled the screen, and there, in bold on the top of the list, was Rins name. Haru knew the shoulder of Nagisa's shirt was soaked, and he could feel the same happening to his. Finally, things quieted down, all except the still evident sounds of Gous sobbing.

"T-thank g-g-god," she stuttered between heaving sobs. She now had Kyoko and Makoto embracing her, talking to her in soothing voices. Both had huge grins on their faces. No one could contain their glee. Rin had done it. Rin had won _gold._

* * *

**AN -** _Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this chapter, it was incredibly fun and exciting to write. I hope I captured the adrenaline and exhilaration sufficiently. Don't worry though, there are still chapters to come. I'd really appreciate it if you could leave me a review and tell me what you thought! Thank you so much for reading this far!_


	5. Chapter 5

_My first Free! fic, sorry if any of them are OOC! I tried my best to keep them in character and be accurate with Olympic and swimming rules and conventions._

_Set in August 2016, Rio Olympics!_

_Warning:__ Smut (rating change to M due to this)_

* * *

The roaring in Rin's ears wouldn't stop. And the grin on his wouldn't leave. There he stood, finally, on the top podium, a bouquet of flowers in his arms, and a gold medal around his neck. The whole crowd was cheering, and so was Rin. He didn't know how long he stood there, but suddenly he found himself being pulled towards the stands by his grinning coach. Bustles of news and sports reporter were gathered there, all rushing to get to him first.

"Mr Masuoka! How does it feel to have won Olympic gold at such a young age?" A young blonde woman almost yelled at him. Rin was still in shock, and had totally forgotten about the interviews.

"Ah well, it's… it's amazing. Just… wow," was all he could manage. His heart was still pounding like crazy, and he could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He felt like he could run a marathon or two, easily. His couch gave a hearty laugh and clapped him on the shoulder.

"I always knew he'd do well," his coach said proudly.

It was a few hours until Rin was finally able to get some rest. All the interviews and photographs had taken an incredibly long time, and it wasn't long before the exhaustion sunk in. Rin had either been in too much shock, or too tired to give any elaborate answers in his interviews. He didn't realise how many he had to do. _Damn media,_ he thought tiredly as he finally crawled into his huge bed. As he started to doze off he thought of everyone back home. He thought of Haru and how he'd probably been sulking in the bathtub since he'd left. The thought of his boyfriend laying in the tub with a pout on his face brought a smile to Rins. And with that, he fell asleep.

xxx

"Do you see him? Haru-senpai, do you?!" Gou repeated anxiously, standing on her toes in an attempt to see over the crowd. Haru gave a small shake of his head, and continued to scan the mass of people exiting the arrivals gate. It was finally the day for Rin to return home. Haru had been waiting anxiously for this ever since he left. But almost all of the passengers were out of the plane now, and Rin was nowhere to be seen. All the athletes got business class tickets as well, which meant he should have been one of the first off the plane. To Haru's surprise, the crowd at the airport was immense, since everyone wanted to see the athletes return home. Gou and Haru hadn't taken this into consideration, so by the time they arrived, the crowd was so huge that they had to barge their way through to get even close to the gates. With a sigh, Haru turned to Gou, who was still looking for Rin.

"Do you think we should talk to someone so we can get on the other side of the barricade? There's no way he's going to spot us here," Haru said. Gou's face broke into a smile.

"That's a great idea!" she cried, and began muscling her way through the crowd, pulling Haru along behind her. They finally arrived at the closest security guard. Thankfully Gou had brought paperwork to prove she was Rin's sister and was indeed there to pick him up, and they were let through the barricade quickly. Haru gave a happy sigh at no longer having to stand amongst the mass of jostling people. He looked around and noticed the other families of the athletes standing on the far side of the hall. Most of the athletes were already there.

"Come on, let's go stand over there," Gou said, again pulling Haru along. Honestly, Haru was glad he wouldn't have to deal with Gou alone anymore. The two of them placed themselves by the other families, and watched the gate hopefully. People were still walking out of the gate, but it was mostly stragglers now.

"Where is he?" Gou said uneasily, the frown on her face deepening, "I'm going to text him."

Gou pulled out her phone quickly and began tapping away. He watched her type her long winded worried text for a while, before glancing briefly back at the gate. He thought he caught a glimpse of red hair, and whipped his head back up. And there was Rin, casually sauntering out of the gate with an enormous grin on his face. Haru gave a strangled cry, and sprinted towards him, throwing his arms around Rin. He hastily placed small kisses all over his face.

"Hey," he heard Rin laugh quietly into his ear. Haru eyes pricked and he held back a sob, which began to rise in his chest. He tightened his arms around Rin and pulled him closer to his chest. Soon enough Gou came hurtling over and threw herself into the hug.

"Rin! Oh my god Rin!" she cried through her already flowing tears, "Where were you?!"

Rin gave a tired laugh and slowly pulled away from their embrace.

"Yeah sorry about that. My bag didn't come around on the carousel and I had to go to the lost baggage desk. It took ages but they found it."

"You could have called me!"

Rin shook his head with a laugh, and looked between the crying pair in front of him.

"What am I going to do with you two?" he said, wiping their tears away with his thumbs.

Much like when they dropped him to the airport, Haru didn't let go of Rins arm until they were in the car, where they were so squeezed together already it didn't matter. He'd missed Rin so much, and just thinking about him finally being back threatened him to burst into tears again. Since it was already quite late, Gou just dropped them both at home, but not before making them promise to come over for breakfast the next morning.

x

As soon as the door to their flat clicked shut, Haru grabbed Rin and pushed him back onto the wall, kissing him hungrily. God he'd missed Rin's kisses. Rin recovered from his brief shock quickly, and kissed back passionately. Rin's arms sneaked around his waist, pulling him closer until there was no room left between them. Haru nipped lightly at Rins lips, extracting a breathy sigh from the red head. His head felt light from the sudden return of Rin's affection, after having to go so long without it. Suddenly, Rin pushed Haru back, and started towards the bedroom. Before he could say anything, Haru felt himself be yanked by his arm to follow Rin. Once in the bedroom, Rin sat down on the bed, and Haru instinctively climbed onto his lap.

"I missed you," he whispered softly, before moving his face closer to brush his lips over Rins. Haru breathed in deeply through his nose, absorbing Rin's familiar scent, feeling his warmth. He ran his tongue over Rin's lips, tasting that oh so familiar flavour. He committed these all the memory, not ever wanting to forget them. Rin pulled him closer, pressing their lips together again. Their tongues danced together, their hands caressing every patch of skin like it was the first time again. Rin removed Haru's shirt, and quickly moved to take his own off too. Pulling Haru back towards him, he let himself fall back onto the bed, and rolled them over, so his body was pressed on top of Haru's. Rin began attacking Haru's neck with haphazard kisses, as he slowly ground his hips down to meet Haru's. A strangled gasp escaped Haru's mouth. A shiver racked his body as he clawed at Rin's back. Rin moved away from Haru's neck, and looked down at him. Haru gave a soft smile, as he admired Rin's face.

"I missed you too," he heard Rin utter softly.

x

Rin always got terribly sappy when they had sex, and this time was no exception. Haru would laugh at him if he wasn't so into it himself.

"Haru, _Haru,_ I love you," Rin moaned, as he pushed back into the boy beneath him. Haru let out a breathy moan and pulled Rins face back down to his. It was something he love about Rin, his complete inability to say anything other than the "I love you"s he would utter over and over. It made up for Haru's inability to _say_ anything. He shivered as Rin leant his face down into the crook of his neck, letting out a raspy moan, which shot straight through Haru's body. Haru felt the warmth in his lower stomach begin to grow warmer, tighter. He shuddered and a strangled but loud moan escaped his lips as Rin thrust into him _hard._

"G-going to come-" he managed between gasps. Rin grunted in acknowledgment and placed rough kisses and bites over Haru's neck as he sped up his pace. Haru gasped loudly, eliciting a loud groan from Rin, as they came together. Haru's mind went white blank as he shuddered, still gasping. His breathing slowly shallowed, and his racing heart came back to a normal rate. Rin lay on top of him, unable to move, still breathing heavily. But, when they finally recovered, Rin relaxed onto Haru and rolled them both onto their sides. He looked at Haru softly, a faint smile on his face.

"I love you," he murmured, placing a soft kiss on Haru's nose. And this time Haru did laugh, but only quietly.

* * *

**AN **_- Thank you for reading! Sorry this took longer than usual to update! I've been terribly sick since Friday _(╥﹏╥) _Hopefully I'll be better soon though! I hope you liked this chapter, and remember to review and tell me what you thought! _


	6. Chapter 6

_My first Free! fic, sorry if any of them are OOC! I tried my best to keep them in character and be accurate with Olympic and swimming rules and conventions._

_Set in August 2016, Rio Olympics!_

* * *

A sudden shake roused Rin from his sound sleep. Groaning, he tiredly batted away the hands disturbing his peace. Rolling over so he lay face down, Rin heaved a sigh and tried to go back to sleep.

"Rin, wake up," Haru whined, "We have to be at Gous in an hour, you promised, remember?"

"Nope," Rin said simply, his voice muffled by the pillow. He heard Haru groan softly in frustration, and suddenly the warm blanket over him was gone. The cool morning air nipped at Rin's warm skin.

"Shit! God dammit Haru!" He complained, kicking his legs out tiredly. He curled in on himself tightly, snatching Haru's pillow to his chest as a makeshift blanket. Rin got a few moments of peace before he was practically dragged by the leg onto the ground. Sprawled out on the cool ground, Rin watched Haru move around the bedroom, getting dressed. Rin closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep on the floor, but was interrupted by a pair of pants and shirt landing on his face. Groaning, Rin grabbed them and finally got up.

"You could have been nicer waking me up," Rin grumbled, pulling the clothes on, "With a kiss or something."

"You just get distracted if I do that," Haru said with a sigh, "We're running late anyway."

Ten minutes later they were on the train on the way to Gou's. Rin felt so jet lagged he fell asleep on the train, but was, rudely, woken by Haru when they got to their stop. They finally made it to Gou's apartment, after endless complaints from Rin. Much to Rin's surprise, it was Nagisa who opened the door.

"RIN!" he screamed, before launching himself at the red head. Rin gave a yelp as he stumbled backwards, Nagisa's arms gripping tightly around him. Rei appeared at the door and pulled Nagisa back by the shirt with a sigh.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Rin asked, regaining his footing.

"We stayed a bit longer, Nagisa wanted to be here when you got back," Rei said matter-of-factly. Makoto hadn't stayed since he had a huge pile of Uni work waiting for him. He finally managed to get through the doorway after shaking Nagisa off of him again. Gou and Kyoko where both standing behind the kitchen counter, Gou cutting strawberries and Kyoko eating said strawberries.

"Hi Rin!" Kyoko said after popping another strawberry into her mouth. Rin grunted a greeting in reply before flopping down on the couch, planning on simply falling asleep there. Haru foiled this plan; however, by sitting beside him and giving him small pinches every time he started to drift off.

"Don't be an ass," Rin groaned, swatting away Haru's nimble hands.

"Don't fall asleep, Gou's almost finished with breakfast," Haru sighed, placing a soft peck on Rin's forehead.

"Whatever."

After almost falling asleep again Rin was startled awake by Gou calling them to the table. Although he was quite hungry, he still had to be dragged off the couch by Haru. But upon seeing the amount of food laid out on the table, Rin no longer felt tired. He quickly sat down and piled his plate quickly.

"Oh god I've missed your cooking Gou," Rin said happily. Gou gave him a loving smile as she carried over the last basket of warm rolls.

"Ah sorry I took so long," Rin heard a familiar voice speak from the doorway. Looking up, his fork still halfway to his mouth, Rin almost spat out his food at seeing Mikoshiba standing by the doorway, wearing a white dressing gown, towelling off his hair.

"S-Seijuro!" Gou stuttered, her face flushing red, "I thought you went home!"

Rin nearly choked on his food. He felt a burning rage build up inside him, as he stood up slowly.

"What the hell?!" He demanded, from no one in particular.

"No, Oniichan! It isn't what you, ah, think….?" Gou said nervously. For a few moments there was silence, before it was broken by Mikoshiba's carefree laughter.

"Aw come on Gou, it's all good," He said, pulling Gou towards him, "Isn't it Rin?"

Rin felt like jumping over the table and ripping that grinning idiots face off. He would have if Haru wasn't holding onto his arm, muttering "no." Rin squinted his eyes, glaring daggers at the idiot _holding _his little sister.

"How long has this been going on?" Rin asked slowly.

"Oh about two months I guess," Mikoshiba said with a shrug. Rin felt homicidal.

"That's my little sister you asshole!" Rin growled.

"Rin stop it," Gou said sternly, her lips pursed, "I'm not a little kid anymore."

Rin was taken aback by Gous words. Gou didn't usually talk to him like that, so grown up. She usually played on the fact that he was her big brother. With a huff Rin sat down, still eyeing Mikoshiba angrily.

"You could have at least told me," he mumbled. Gou shot him a warning look, and sat down, Mikoshiba beside her. God it was going to be a long day.

xxx

Rin had really had enough of pools for the time being. But Haru had insisted, and he really couldn't refuse him. Everyone was lazing around the pool, except for Haru, who was floating on his back in the cool water. Rin opted for resting on one of the deck chairs, since he was still tired and swimming with Haru always resulted in a race.

"I'm glad you're back Oniichan," Gou said from her position next to the pool, with her legs dangling in the water. Mikoshiba sat beside her, constantly _cuddling _her, totally unaware of Rin's glaring. Rin simply hummed in reply.

"What are you going to do now Rin?" Nagisa asked. Rei and him were laying together on the chair beside him. Rei had long since abandoned wondering about their relationship.

"We'll I'm still part of the training program, so I guess I'll just keep training and racing," Rin grunted in reply.

"Does that mean you'll go to the next Olympics?!" Nagisa said excitedly, his eyes gleaming.

"Maybe, if I get onto the team again," Rin said with a shrug. Nagisa's face broke into a grin.

"Oh wow that's so cool! We'll come with you next time! Neh Rei-chan?"

Rei looked less than excited about this. It'd always baffled Rin how Rei put up with Nagisa. Honestly, the rest of him could hardly stand a whole day with him, yet Rei spent _every_ day with him. Rin applauded him on this.

"Well then I'm coming too," Haru said suddenly, making Rin jump. Haru had been quite the whole time, Rin had assumed he'd fallen asleep or something. But there he was, standing beside him, dripping wet. Haru knelt down and placed a shy, _cold_ kiss on Rins forehead.

"Why _didn't _you go, Haru-chan?" Nagisa asked loudly. Haru looked away, a deadpan expression on his face.

"Haru's scared of flying," Rin explained with a chuckle. It perplexed him how Haru developed this fear. Maybe it was something to do with his love of water, that the sky scared him? He'd tried asking him, but Haru didn't even like talking about it.

"Whatever," Haru mumbled.

"Well the next Olympics are here in Tokyo anyway so we don't have to worry about that," Gou said.

"Awesome!" Nagisa shouted, jumping up and making Rei shout in surprise, "we can all go and see Rin race together! We can be his support team! Oh wow we should make banners with Rin name on them. This is going to be amazing!"

Rin laughed at Nagisa's antics, and turned to Haru, who had his head rested on Rins shoulder.

"Yeah," Rin murmured, "I guess it will."

* * *

**AN -** _Thanks for reading! This is going to be the last chapter of this fanfiction. Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! I hope you like this last chapter. I didn't get time to read over this properly again so sorry if there are any typos, I'll look over it again when I get some time. _


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